McCain Expected To Endorse Mitt Romney

Several news outlets, including the AP and The New York Times, report that Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., will endorse Mitt Romney.

NBC News says the 2008 Republican presidential nominee will make his endorsement in New Hampshire today. As the AP puts it, the endorsement is a "signal by the GOP's one-time standard-bearer that Republicans should start falling in line behind the former Massachusetts governor."

The New York Times breaks down the politics of the endorsement: First, it's the return of a political favor, because Romney endorsed McCain after he dropped out of the 2008 race. Second, the endorsement may carry weight:

"New Hampshire fell in love with Mr. McCain twice — once in 2000, when it gave him an upset win over George W. Bush, and again in 2008, when he dashed Mr. Romney's hopes of winning the nomination.

"Mr. McCain is just as fond of New Hampshire as its voters are of him, and one Republican strategist said the timing of the endorsement — at the beginning of the race for the state — was a logical choice for the campaign."

The Times adds that one of the stops on Romney's campaign tour is Peterborough Town House, "one of Mr. McCain's favorite places to hold town hall meetings when he was a candidate for president."